While it is true that there is a lot of information on almost everything on the web, and that most aspects of photography are there for free, the truth is that sometimes the quality of the information is not only questionable, but messy. or chaotic, especially when we don't know exactly what we are looking for. And how are we going to find something we didn't even know existed or how are we going to value the content of something we don't know?
That is why we defend the importance of working and consulting reliable reference works, written by professionals endorsed by the experience and quality of their publications. That the internet is very good when we have a little more of our own criteria, but it is not a manual in which we can blindly believe. So with this desire to build a good base to work with, we continue with our literary recommendations, which are part of the baggage of all of us who make up this blog, and are a reference guide for many of the publications we write in it. This time we will analyze the work of the photographer José María Mellado: High quality photography .
COMPOSITION AND DESIGN
The book is divided into 12 chapters , each one with its corresponding subsections in which it delves, in a very detailed way, into how to work a complete workflow from the calibration of the monitors to its printing on paper .
CHAPTER 1: FUNDAMENTALS
In this first chapter, Mellado talks about the different image file formats (RAW, JPEG, TIFF, PSD), what they are, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. He also delves into color management , or how to calibrate different monitors to get a true-to-image display.
CHAPTER 2: THE CAMERA
In this second chapter, we delve into the cameras and everything that makes them up. It explains, for example, what the sensor is or how its size influences image quality, what noise is or what its relationship is with ISO. It also delves into the types of lenses, fixed or zoom focal, diaphragm , hyperfocal distance or sweet spot of the lens. Even tips for choosing a camera, pros and cons of each type, and the basic settings for working with the camera. In short, almost everything you can think of in relation to cameras ?
CHAPTER 3: THE EXPOSURE
In this chapter, Mellado explains everything related to exposure: what is a histogram and how to read it, what types are there, what we consider a correct exposure , what the famous expression consists of: straightening the histogram or what types of measurement there are.
CHAPTER 4: ORGANIZATION
This is, in many cases, the great lack of many photographers in a workflow. On this occasion, Mellado proposes ways of organizing our photographs and different programs such as Bridge or Photoshop to organize the .
CHAPTER 5: REVEALED
In this chapter he goes through and explains in detail all the basic development settings , focusing on the Adobe Camera Raw environment; how to read the different information through the histogram, such as improving contrast, balancing lights, perspective correction, noise reduction, vignetting, etc.
CHAPTER 6: VISUAL LANGUAGE
In this case we delve into the composition of the image and its different laws or rules: Law of the horizon, rule of thirds, negative space, lines, center of interest or odd numbers, among others.
CHAPTER 7: TREATMENT BY ZONES
In this chapter, he teaches us to identify the different areas of the image to be able to treat them individually: selection tools, adjustment layers, curve adjustment, mask correction, etc.
CHAPTER 8: ADVANCED TREATMENT TECHNIQUES. ELE METHOD
On this occasion, Mellado will talk about the use of advanced selection settings (selection by channels, masks, levels...) for situations in which we need greater precision or in which a more standard selection does not give good results.
CHAPTER 9: BLACK AND WHITE
In Chapter 9, we get all the information you need to perform a black and white conversion, both quickly and more elaborately, in Camera RAW and in Photoshop.
CHAPTER 10: COLOR CORRECTION AND SPECIAL EFFECTS
In this chapter you will talk about how to do a good color correction from Raw, JPEG, TIFF or PSD files. How to correct color from Camera Raw, color balance, intensity, tone, as well as different special effects.
CHAPTER 11: FUSION, WARP, AND REPAIR
On this occasion, Mellado takes us into the fusion of images, the elimination of objects , the extension of the depth of field, the deformation of the image (crop, transform, liquefy...) and repair through different tools such as the image buffer. clone, the healing brush, patches, etc.
CHAPTER 12: EXIT
In this last chapter we come to the end of the workflow that Mellado proposes to us, which makes up the entire file saving process and its preparation for the different outputs that we can give to the image (copy on screen, etc.).
DETAILS
Number of pages: 528
Soft cover
Dimensions: 26x20cm
Publisher: ANAYA MULTIMEDIA
Edition: 3rd edition
IDEAL FOR…
Would it be too bold to say that this book is ideal for everyone? ? High-quality photography is a reference manual, ideal for anyone who wants to know all the basics of digital and general photography.
But above all, he stands out for being able to detail in a very instructive way (and easy to follow), all the necessary steps to correctly work on photography from the moment it is thought to when it is printed on paper. What we call workflow and that is so important when doing photography.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
José María Mellado Martínez, (Ávila 1966) is a photographer, teacher and writer , author of numerous publications on digital photography, as well as president of the Royal Photographic Society for 5 years. He has received numerous awards throughout his professional career and some of his works are in major collections and museums around the world. He is probably the most successful author of photography in the Spanish language .
THE BEST
It contains all the essential foundations to understand digital photography at a technical and theoretical level. It is entertaining and clear and allows us to follow the steps in an easy and simple way, but above all it exposes us step by step and with great detail how to work with the images from the moment even prior to taking them until they are filed and printed, what we know as a workflow , which is essential for any photographer and which is usually quite complicated to work on your own from scratch.
WORST
It is not a very portable book to say. It is a good billet that weighs its own, so it becomes a manual to have at home or at work, but it is not an enjoyable read to take to the beach ;). In addition, the most recommended way to read a large part of it (but not all) is to practice its examples while you read it. If you really are “ anti- editing” images, there are quite a few pages here on the subject.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
- 2007. Iceland. Texts: Miguel Fernández-Cid and Manuel Santos.
- 2007. Silence and Light. Texts: José Luis López Bretones, Catherine Coleman, Fernando Castro Flórez, Manuel Santos and Sandra Muñoz Collado1 .
- 2005. High Quality Digital Photography. Editorial Artual (4th Revised Edition)
- 2010. High quality photography
- 2011. High quality photography. CS5
- 2012. From Heaven to Earth
- 2013. High quality photography. Definitive methods and techniques. CS6
- 2013. Smart Photography with Lightroom 5
- 2014. High quality panoramic photography
- 2016.Closer
CONCLUSIONS
There are books to consult and then there are others to have. There are books to read once and others to reread from time to time. This is one of those books that will end up thumbs down, with dots on the pages, arrows and exclamations in pencil. This is one of those books that you will consult, look at and re-look at, because High Quality Photography is a reference book that I don't think you will regret ?
I hope you liked it. If so and you want to recommend it to someone else, feel free to share. Thank you very much and until next time ?
